Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Farris:
Dr. King, most of us know about your very important uncle Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But your father, A.D. King—we need to know more about him. Would you tell us what role he played?

Dr. Alveda King:
My father, Reverend A.D. King, is the youngest of three children born to Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., and his wife, Alberta Williams Kings. Daddy King was in the civil rights movement before his sons and daughter were born. Christina’s the oldest; and then Martin, and then my dad.

Dad and Uncle Martin worked together in the civil rights movement and were often called the Sons of Thunder after James and John in the Bible. And they marched together, they preached together, they prayed together, they ministered together, and Dr. King, Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed in 1968, and then my father was killed in 1969.

Yet they both have the love of God, and they loved each other, they loved their brothers and sisters. They walked in the principles called the beloved community, with God being the head of that community. They both loved Jesus Christ, they were ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and so my father stood with his brother throughout their lifetime.

Mike:
That is just fascinating history, encouraging about your family, and troubling about the path that America has sometimes walked. I’m really inspired. I’m Mike Farris.